Clayton, chief felony prosecutor for 18th Judicial District Attorney Ricky Ward, is trying to make the wheels of justice grind a little faster in order to bring serial-killer suspect Sean Vincent Gillis of Baton Rouge to trial in his district.

Clayton said he plans to bring the death of Joyce Williams, 36, of Baton Rouge, before a grand jury within two weeks, seeking a murder indictment.

Gillis is accused of killing five Baton Rouge women and a Lafayette woman. Authorities have said Gillis has confessed to those killings and the slayings of two other women, Lillian Robinson and Williams.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/070505/sub_gillis001.shtml

mysteriew

07-15-2005, 11:10 AM

A man suspected of a series of killings in the Baton Rouge area has been indicted in the slaying of a Baton Rouge woman.

In addition, Gillis is scheduled to stand trial October 11th in Baton Rouge on a first-degree murder charge in the slaying of Donna Bennett Johnston, whose body was found by people walking their dog on February 27th, 2004. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in that case.

http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3598408

mysteriew

10-14-2005, 11:32 PM

Attorneys for serial killings suspect Sean Vincent Gillis are trying to have statements Gillis made concerning the murders of eight women thrown out of court.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Authorities have said that since his arrest in April 2004, Gillis has confessed to killing Johnston and seven other women in and around Baton Rouge. He has been booked on murder charges in seven of the killings.

Prosecutors want to introduce all of Gillis' statements, a move that is being opposed by the defense. In a motion filed Thursday, defense attorney Kerry Cuccia said the statements would violate Gillis' constitutional rights, including the one against compelling a defendant to testify in his own trial.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 20.
http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3978857

Last week, defense attorneys expected state District Judge Bonnie Jackson to put the trial back on track. Instead of setting a new trial date, however, Jackson on Friday scheduled a March 8 hearing to discuss how Gillis' attorneyes will pay for experts for their case.
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060123/APN/601230534&cachetime=3&template=dateline